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This study evaluated the heart health of 112 women with an average age of 33 (44% Hispanic) by measuring cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels at the beginning of the study and one year later.
Researchers, including from Columbia University, United States, use the Simple Heart Life steps of the American Heart Association, which represent risk factors for heart disease that can be overcome by people through lifestyle changes such as not smoking, being physically active, eating healthy foods and controlling weight. They also calculated heart health scores for participants based on Life's Simple 7 meeting.
The participants kept an electronic food diary with a computer or cellphone that reported what, how much, and when they ate for one week at the start of the study, plus for one week 12 months later. The researchers used data from a food diary filled by each woman to determine the relationship between heart health and the time they ate.
Researchers found that when most study participants ate some food after 6 pm, those who consumed a higher proportion of daily calories after this period had worse heart health. Cardiovascular health decreases with every 1% increase in calories consumed after 6pm.
They say, women who consume more calories after 6:00 pm are more likely to have high blood pressure, a more upper body mass index, and worse long-term blood sugar control. According to the researchers, the impact of blood pressure was more pronounced in Hispanic women who consumed most of their calories at night and survived even after adjusting for age and socioeconomic status.
"So far, the lifestyle approach to preventing heart disease has focused on what we eat and how much we eat," said study leader Nour Makarem of Columbia University as reported by Times Now News.
"These preliminary results indicate that deliberate eating that takes into account the time and proportion of calories on the dinner menu can represent simple behaviors that can be modified so that it helps reduce the risk of heart disease," concluded Makarem.
Researchers, including from Columbia University, United States, use the Simple Heart Life steps of the American Heart Association, which represent risk factors for heart disease that can be overcome by people through lifestyle changes such as not smoking, being physically active, eating healthy foods and controlling weight. They also calculated heart health scores for participants based on Life's Simple 7 meeting.
The participants kept an electronic food diary with a computer or cellphone that reported what, how much, and when they ate for one week at the start of the study, plus for one week 12 months later. The researchers used data from a food diary filled by each woman to determine the relationship between heart health and the time they ate.
Researchers found that when most study participants ate some food after 6 pm, those who consumed a higher proportion of daily calories after this period had worse heart health. Cardiovascular health decreases with every 1% increase in calories consumed after 6pm.
They say, women who consume more calories after 6:00 pm are more likely to have high blood pressure, a more upper body mass index, and worse long-term blood sugar control. According to the researchers, the impact of blood pressure was more pronounced in Hispanic women who consumed most of their calories at night and survived even after adjusting for age and socioeconomic status.
"So far, the lifestyle approach to preventing heart disease has focused on what we eat and how much we eat," said study leader Nour Makarem of Columbia University as reported by Times Now News.
"These preliminary results indicate that deliberate eating that takes into account the time and proportion of calories on the dinner menu can represent simple behaviors that can be modified so that it helps reduce the risk of heart disease," concluded Makarem.
